Will US-India ties foster under Trump amid ‘China factor’? Fareed Zakaria explains

Veteran journalist and geopolitical expert Fareed Zakaria on Monday expressed optimism about the trajectory of US-India relations under Donald Trump’s regime and believed it to be a “golden opportunity” for India to end China’s monopoly in manufacturing.
Speaking to India Today TV’s News Director Rahul Kanwal, Zakaria highlighted Trump’s admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and predicted continued strengthening of bilateral ties between New Delhi and Washington.
“Trump has always said he loves Modi, so I think there will be a continuation of the policy towards India. We have very colourful changes in America, from Bill Clinton to George Bush to Barack Obama to Donald Trump to Joe Biden. The US’s policy towards India for the last 25 years has been remarkably consistent and upward-moving,” he said.
Furthermore, Zakaria exuded confidence that the Trump-Modi consistency is likely to persist, bolstering closer cooperation and a shared resolve to shape an Asia less dependent on China and more interdependent with India.
“What you are likely to see with India is the continuation of that upward-moving trajectory, closer cooperation, and greater determination to create an Asia where you have less dependence on China and greater interdependence with India,” the expert added.
When asked about Trump’s approach to China, including potential plans to impose 60 per cent export tariffs, Zakaria termed this a “golden opportunity” for India.
“Trump is almost certain to impose higher tariffs on China, regardless of any deal between Washington and Beijing. American businesses are already undergoing a long-term process of de-risking their dependence on China. CEOs are actively diversifying supply chains,” he explained.
Zakaria also pointed out that while nations like Mexico, Vietnam, and Malaysia have benefited from this shift, India has yet to establish itself as a manufacturing powerhouse capable of replacing China. However, he asserted that India holds a unique potential to attract significant portions of US business supply chains.
“If US businesses move a major chunk of their supply chains away from China, smaller countries like Vietnam and Malaysia can’t fully absorb the demand. Only India has the scale and capacity to step in,” Zakaria said.